On another note, progress has been made in establishing the North American Sheep Coalition. The sheep industries of the United States, Mexico and Canada have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the first meeting of the coalition occured in late March.
ASI BOD approved our organization joining this new coalition during our annual meeting in January. Through the development of the Tri-Lamb Group, we have learned that production information and communication between sheep producers of various countries is beneficial for our industries. The same concept applies to this coalition.
We recognize that the Canadian, Mexican and US sheep industries have long established ties in trade, production and markets and hope to coordinate information and activities for the benefit of the producers.
The three-year MOU requests that each party provide the others with information and expertise relevant to the North American market for lamb, mutton, wool and live-animal trade. In addition, other topics to be shared include:
- activities to maintain the animal health of sheep in North America and protect animals from disease;
- enhance mutual cooperation in the area of sheep and sheep-meat research and - development; and
- information on animal identification and traceability programs established or under development in each country.
American Sheep Industry Association
marketing@alchempro.com
